1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to laser arrangements, and more particularly to manipulable, hand-held frames for supporting both lasers and laser-target skin-chilling devices.
2. Prior Art
Laser treatment of human anatomy have become routine in doctors"" offices. Such laser use has been adapted for treatment of skin, hair, blood vessels, eyes, and wounds. In the application of lasers to skin however, the skin temperature may reach as high as 80 degrees centigrade on the skin surface. This can become quite painful to the patient receiving such treatment. Cooling the skin or surface of the patient before, during and subsequent to the laser application minimizes such patient injury. Additionally, cooling of the skin provides an analgesic effect, thereby minimizing the pain sensation during a light or laser energy treatment.
Heretofore, cooling of the patients"" skin has been accomplished by a separate, hand-held cooling air jet, held in one hand, while the laser device is held in the other hand of the treating physician. This makes it difficult to manipulate the patient as well as the multiple devices utilized to treat that patient. The laser devices typically have to be spaced from the patient""s skin a specific distance. Simultaneous, multiple skin treatment devices only make it more difficult and cumbersome to treat that patient.
An improvement in the skin-chilling apparatus included a cold air attachment angularly disposed on an L-shaped frame at the tip of the laser device. The chilled air, supplied by a separate hose, was directed directly at the target site of the laser beam. The nozzle for the chilled air supply and its attached hose of this prior art device is arranged at an angle, so as to be somewhat cumbersome because of the different supply conduits of the laser and of the chilled air hose are spread out and not arranged neatly in a parallel arrangement.
It is an object of the present invention, to provide a frame arrangement for supporting both a chilled air supply, and a laser device in a single, unitary, one-hand manipulable structure, to provide optimum cooling and lasing simultaneously.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvement over the laser and skin chilling apparatus of the prior art.
It is still a yet further object of the present invention, to provide a frame arrangement for a laser device and a chilled air supply conduit for cooling the skin of a patient as well as the space bar of the laser frame apparatus.
The present invention comprises a frame arrangement for enclosing both a laser device such as laser optics, and a chilled air conduit, for the application of a laser beam and chilled air onto the treatment surface of a patient. Such combined laser treatment and chilling is utilized for laser hair removal, laser treatment of vascular lesions, tattoo removal, skin resurfacing, wrinkle removal, scar treatment, skin stretch mark treatment, or any other dermatological application.
The light and chilled air frame arrangement of the present invention comprises an elongated housing frame having a first end and a second end. The elongated housing frame has an upper portion having a generally cylindrically shaped channel or slot arranged therethrough. The generally cylindrically shaped channel or slot extends the entire length of the elongated housing frame and is opened on both ends thereof. The slot or channel is arranged to support a light-emitting optics device, such as a laser light carrying handpiece secured therewithin. The handpiece or optical arrangement is connected to a laser via a flexible light energy carrying optical fiber.
The elongated housing frame has a lowermost portion with an elongated bore extending therethrough. The elongated bore is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrically shaped slot or channel in the uppermost portion of the elongated housing frame. The bore extending through the lowermost portion of the elongated housing frame has an angled discharge port in the second end of the elongated housing frame. The first end of the elongated housing frame has a chilled air supply hose attached thereto, in communication with the bore extending through the lowermost portion of that frame. The chilled air supply hose is communicatively attached to a refrigeration unit, so as to permit the supply of chilled air through the flexible hose, and into the elongated bore extending through the lower portion of the elongated housing frame. The discharge port in the second end of the elongated housing frame may be angled to direct the chilled air towards the target which is the patent""s skin at the intersection of the laser beam and that skin.
An elongated, handpiece tip may be threadably received in an opening in the upper end of a handpiece adapter plate. The handpiece adapter plate is a generally oval-shaped plate having a light port arranged therethrough, the light port being in alignment with the opening at the second end of the elongated housing frame to permit a light beam to pass therethrough. The adapter plate also has a lower chilled-air port, which is in alignment with the discharge port of the cooled air supply bore in the lower portion of the elongated housing frame. The handpiece adapter plate is removably received in a curvilinear channel arranged about the second end of the elongated housing frame. The channel has a shoulder or lip, to secure the adapter plate within that channel. In a further embodiment, the handpiece tip may be integral with the elongated housing frame. Such an assembly may be molded plastic or metal.
In operation of the present invention, the treating physician would actuate the refrigeration and chilled-air unit, to supply chilled air through the flexible expandable-sleeve reinforced, light weight foam tubing leading to the first end of the elongated housing frame. The flexible hose from the refrigeration unit is a foam material, to permit flexibility, and allow ready manipulation thereof. The light weight foam hose is reinforced with an expandable sleeve to prevent kinking. The treating physician would have a foot or hand actuatable switch for the generation of light, such as a laser light, from the light emitting optics arranged within the cylindrically shaped slot/channel in the elongated housing frame. Constant or intermittent bursts of light may be directed onto the patient""s skin, through the elongated housing frame arrangement. The frame arrangement is spaced from that patient""s skin by the length of the handpiece tip attached to the handpiece adapter plate. Chilled air would be directed through the bore of the elongated housing frame, and discharged finally, through the discharge port in the second end of the elongated housing frame, and out the chilled air port of the handpiece adapter plate. The direction of the chilled air in one embodiment may be such to be angled with respect to the longitudinal axis of the light emitted from the light emitting optics, and also to chill the distal end of the handpiece tip. This permits the chilling of the patient""s treatment area, such as the skin, by the chilled air as well as providing a chilling of that patient""s treatment area by the distalmost end of the tip. The angle of the discharge port with respect to the longitudinal axis of the light device preferably lies in the range of between 20 to 60 degrees.
Thus there has been shown a unique light and chilled air supply arrangement with easy manipulation of both of those components for treatment of a patients skin, by a single hand of the treating physician. The elongated frame arrangement also provides multiple sources of cooling of that patient""s skin by virtue of the blast of chilled air itself, as well as the chilled tip. In a further embodiment, the distal end of the handpiece tip may have an imprint arrangement such as a U-shaped or circular-shaped frame element thereon, to supply a xe2x80x9cfootprintxe2x80x9d to the patient""s treatment site. That tip footprint arrangement provides a contact heat sink in addition to that heat dissipating arrangement provided by the direct blast of the chilled air.
The invention thus comprises an assembly for the single-hand manipulation of a light treatment device and a chilled air. supply on a skin light-treatment site. The assembly comprises an elongated frame member having a first end and a second end. The frame member also has an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion has an elongated slot therealong for receipt of a light emitter for emitting a light beam therefrom. The lower portion has a bore extending therethrough for passage of chilled air from a chilled air source. The bore is arranged to direct chilled air at an angle with respect to the light beam to chill the site. The assembly includes a removable handpiece tip member arranged at the second end of the frame assembly. The frame includes a curvilinear channel and shoulder arranged on the second end thereof, for receipt of a handpiece adapter plate, the plate supporting the tip member. The handpiece adapter plate has a light port and a chilled air port arranged to permit passage of light and chilled air therethrough from a flexible, reinforced chilled air supply hose. A refrigerated air source is in communication with the air supply hose. The bore is arranged to chill both the tip member and the treatment site on the patient. A light energy source is in communication with the light emitter optics in the elongated frame housing. A tip footprint member may be arranged onto the second end of the frame. The tip in either embodiment may be integral with the elongated frame for simplicity of manufacture.
The invention also comprises a method of treating a skin site on a patient using light and chilled air comprising the steps of: arranging an elongated frame housing having a first end and a second end, and an upper portion and a lower portion; placing an elongated channel along the upper portion and a bore along the lower portion; arranging a light emitter in the elongated channel to emit a beam of light at the second end of the fame; connecting a flexible refrigerated chilled air supply hose to a first end of the bore; attaching a tip member at the second end of the fame housing; and directing the bore for the chilled air to a treatment site on the patient and to a distal end of the tip member. The method includes emitting light from the light source and onto a treatment site on the patient, cooling the treatment site by the tip member. The method may include the step of replacing the tip member by a further tip member to define a footprint on the treatment site.